Interagency Garden Works

YouthCare and Seattle Public Schools Interagency Academy run the Interagency Garden Works program, which focuses on job skills, independence, and improved school attendance for low-income, at-risk youth.

Interagency Garden Works is a daily, eight-week gardening-based employment training program that provides three cohorts of youth each year the opportunity to learn to cultivate, harvest, and market produce while gaining critical employment skills and continuing their secondary education. Each day, a cohort of 10-12 youth spends their afternoons in the garden, learning about and working with the plants, growing food, and improving and maintaining the facility. Students also engage in communication and team-building activities, such as rehabilitating abandoned and neglected gardening beds, refurbishing a greenhouse and tool shed, and growing and selling food at the Columbia City Farmer’s Market in south Seattle.